There is a continuing critical need to more efficiently produce hydrogen in substantial quantities for forming chemical products and in chemical processes.
Presently, large quantities of hydrogen are consumed in the manufacture of ammonia and methanol, and in producing other alcohols, nitrates and amines. Hydrogen also is used in the hydrogenation of organic compounds, such as oils and fats to make margarine and vegetable shortening.
In the steel making industry hydrogen is being used in increasing quantities in the direct reduction of iron ores to produce metallic iron which may be fed to steel making furnaces, open hearth furnaces, electric furnaces and as part of the feed for blast furnaces.
Further, hydrogen can be used for such diverse uses as the gasification and liquification of coal, the reduction of oxides of tungsten and molybdenum to the metals, the providing of high protein foods through biosynthesis of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and in total water management programs to pasturize pathogens.
Apart from the growing need as a chemical, hydrogen, for some time, has been considered as a possible alternative to fossil fuels: oil, natural gas and coal. Hydrogen is an excellent fuel available in abundance. Water provides an undepletable supply of hydrogen. When it burns, hydrogen produces extraordinary quantities of heat and essentially pollution free water vapor useful once again as a source of more hydrogen.
Prior to the present invention, however, hydrogen has not been produced upon demand in an economic manner.
Available systems, generally, do not provide hydrogen for instantaneous use. Presently, existing systems commonly require production and storage, or substantial accumulation. before utilization. There is no direct link between production and use. Storage, a necessary element in such existing systems, prohibits instantaneous use of hydrogen upon production.
This is not meant to say that storage is necessarily detrimental. Generally, however, the consumer has not had the option of either directly using the hydrogen or storing the hydrogen and using it when needed. Presently storage is required.
In addition, available systems do not produce hydrogen economically. The price for hydrogen is not competitive with available sources of energy. Also, it often takes more energy to produce hydrogen than the energy available from the produced hydrogen.
In sum, there is a need to more efficiently produce large quantities of hydrogen for chemical purposes, and there is a pressing need to make available an economic, ecologically sound energy generating system which produces hydrogen from water adapted for instantaneous use at the option of the consumer.
It is a primary object of the invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved method of and apparatus for producing hydrogen for chemical and energy purposes.
It is another primary object of the invention to provide a new generating system which economically produces hydrogen from water adapted to be used upon demand where needed, as needed, and which is an improvement of the system of my earlier patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,589.
It is another object of the invention to provide a new system which produces hydrogen from water without substantially depleting the supply of water or polluting the environment.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a new system which produces hydrogen ready for instantaneous use without the need for an intermediate storage facility.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new energy system which produces low-cost hydrogen.
Among the other objects of the invention is to provide hydrogen generating and utilizing systems for direct applications which serve human needs, such as commercial, industrial and home heating, propulsion for land, marine and aerospace vehicles, and the generation of electricity by utilities, by commercial and industrial enterprises, as well as by the homeowner.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved hydrogen generating system for wherever hydrogen is used chemically in forming hydrogen containing products as well as for processes where hydrogen can be used advantageously.
Additional objects and advantages will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom or may be learned with the practice of the invention, the same being realized and obtained by means of the systems and applications, recited in the appended claims.